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A Snik is about 5 to 6 cm (2" to 2.5") high, and possesses enormous strength and intelligence. They have antennae (most have two, but Galaxo has only one) and prominent buckteeth. There is a notable racial diversity; although most Sniks have greenskin (with yellow or orangehair), some are orange (with yellow hair), black (with silver hair), pink, or blue skin.

A subspecies of Astrosniks, Marsmen Sniks (also known as Walkman Sniks), do not have any arms or visible noses. They too have a wide range of skin tones: blue, orange, red, yellow, green, black, and white.

Sniks are frequently described as happy, lovable, and friendly. They are said to be eager to learn and "they always take time to play, to be funny, and to enjoy life and friendships". Sniks are called "friends of mankind", but the nature and extent of their interaction with humans has not been revealed.

The Astrosniks have an ancient culture is said to have developed rapidly due to their communication system called "Sniknet", which is not to be confused with their language, "Sniklish". They possess space travel, as well time travel technology.

The Sniks originate on the planetoid Snikeria, which is close in size to Ceres, Pallas, and Vesta. This means Snikeria is between 469 and 950 km in diameter. The planetoid is mobile, and powered by the mysterious "quasar-force". Millions of years ago, it was moved to the Sol System, where it settled into orbit behind Mars; it is permanently occulted by the planet and not visible from Earth.

In time, Snikeria became overpopulated. So, many Sniks slowly immigrated to Mars, and developed a subterranean system of paths and supply lines. Besides a Head Office of administration, other important locations include store rooms and lecture halls.

Released as several sets of figurines in Germany in the 1970s, the Astrosniks were licensed to about 50 manufacturers to produce memorabilia in 1983 and 1984. One prominent outlet for Astrosnik figurines during this era was McDonald's, which issued the toys as a part of a long-running Happy Meal promotion (List of Happy Meal toys). The toys were usually offered as consolation prizes on the game show Starcade.